Glossary of Paranormal terms
thought some may find it useful. I take no credit whatsoever for these definitions.
Afterlife- The belief that the human
soul or spirit survives after it leaves the body from cause of death. How the spirit survives will
depend on which culture you are referring to.
All Hollows Eve(Halloween)
- This day of dressing
up in costumes and passing out candy on October 31st
started out as a pagan festival of the dead. This night is still
believed
by many to be the night when spirits, demons, and other supernatural beings are at their strongest.
Angels - In Christian belief, angels are Gods messengers, and protectors of mankind. Angels
are creatures between God and man that work as intervenor's.
Apparition - A paranormal
related, visual appearance of a dead person, living person, or beast. For more information, visit the Apparitions
page.
Automatic writing- A form of writing that is done when a persons conscience is in a spiritual
state and their writings origin is of the messages of spirits from another dimension. The person writing obtains
the information through the help of ESP.
Banshee - An omen spirit
of Ireland
an Scotland that are always female. She appears to
warn of a future death in a family. Mostly in family's thats surnames
start with "O" or "Mac". It is said that the Banshee appears flying and of course singing
as banshees are also well known for.
Channeling - Communication of automatic
writing or speech with all kinds of spiritual beings or even with a Higher self. It is achieved by being in
a trance of some kind.
Clairvoyance - The paranormal sight of things, people, or events
which is a form of ESP (extrasensory perception) . for more go to the ESP page.
Demons-
Both evil and good spirits that can and do intervene
with mankind. Demons are also defined as the workers of Satan's will,
tempting humans to sin against God.
Doppelganer(Double) - A mystical double or copy of the person
who sees it. This phenomena is usually to scale of the person it's copying but a lot of the time just the face,
head, and body are viewed.
Ectoplasm - A strange, paranormal material that flows out of
any orifice and opening of a mediums body during a seance, or contact with the dead.
EVP(Electronic Voice
Phenomena) - The recording of spirit voices on audio tape.
Exorcism - The removal
of a demon, ghost, or other spiritual being from the body of a human being.
Esp(Extrasensory Perception)- Any
of the five senses working on a paranormal level. To learn more go to the ESP page.
Ghost
- A spirit of a deceased human or animal that remains on earth.
Ghost Hunting - The investigation
or search of ghosts, poltergeists, apparitions, or any other paranormal activity for fun,
science, or ghost removal.
Ghost lights - Strange, paranormal lights that have no scientific
explanation, usually appearing n remote areas. To learn more read the Ghost lights page.
Gray ladies-
These are ghosts that are gray in color and are of
deceased, usually noble women that had died or have been killed
violently
in relations to love or are searching for their lost
love.
Haunting- A location repeatedly experiencing
the presence of a ghost or spirit.
Ideoplasty-The theory that sitters in a seance can effect the occurring phenomena by unknowingly sending their thoughts and expectations of what will happen to the medium. The medium will then create what was expected by the group.
Imprint - Apparitions of people and things of the past that are made up of energy that exists in the area of activity. Imprints are not actually conscience of themselves and their surrounding's, unlike an actual spirit or ghost.
Materialization - The formation of either an entire spirits body or only parts of a spirits body. Materialization can happen during a seance or in some other situation.
Medium - One who communicates with human and non human spirits.
Necromancy- To conjure or summon up the spirits of the dead for purposes such as prophecy, divination, or other things associated with magic. Necromancy is done by magicians, sorcerers, witchs, and priests.
OBE(Out of Body Experience) - When a persons soul, or spirit leaves their body from just a few feet away, to as far as other worlds or dimensions.
Poltergeist- A Poltergeist is a spirit or sometimes disembodied energy. They are much like ghosts except they are more destructive and are most known for throwing rocks and dirt. They are usually found in homes and buildings.
Possession - A persons body, spirit, and conscience being taken over by a ghost, demon, or other entities.
Pseudopod- An ectoplasmic hand and/or arm from the early seance days.
Psychokinesis(PK) - Objects being manipulated from afar either happening suddenly or on purpose by someone with this paranormal ability.
Reincarnation- The spirit of a deceased person being reborn into another body to live a new life.
Revenant - Another name for a ghost, used long ago and is rarely used today.
Shadow People - These entities are a deep black color and are can be in the form of a thick or misty cloud, but usually in the shape of a human. These are one of the rarest paranormal phenomena to be captured on photographs. Most of these ghosts are found in peoples homes and are evasive and sneaky in nature. Sometimes they even play pranks on people.
Soul - The non physical core of a living being that exists even after their body has died.
Spirit - Another name for soul or it can also be a paranormal force of some kind.
Spunkie- A Scottish ghost or goblin that is usually evil and likes to play tricks on travelers that are lost.
Vortex - A vortex is a form of paranormal energy in the shape of a whirlwind or cylinder. A popular belief is that they are some kind of portal or doorway between this world and the spirit world. Sometimes an orb that is moving very fast can look like a vortex when photographed. The most common color for a vortex to be is white.
Witching Hour- The time in which all paranormal activity is at it's strongest according to superstition which takes place at midnight during a full moon.
Zombie- The bodies of the deceased being reanimated by a sorcerer or other power that moves with mechanical like motions.